156 Letters
by Kou1
Summary: Gaara goes to Konoha to witness the swearing in of the new hokage, not knowing this trip would change everything he thought he knew. GaaNaru. M for later. Will be a very long story when I'm done. Please review.
1. Chapter 1

Author's Notes:

My first time writing Naruto fiction. This is a draft that will be reworked as I go along. Please let me know what you think. Might abandon the poor thing if it gets too draggy.

Disclaimers:

Characters. Not mine. Description of love from a quotation from Erica Jong.

Chapter One

Pale green eyes regarded the cooling desert city with an subdued pensiveness. Hectic days were best ended with long drawn sessions of nothing but the sound of the night air atop the roof of the Kazekage's abode. Slim fingers gripped the edge of the latest letter to have flew in through his office window.

154.

That was the number of papers of varying sizes sealed loosely in the box stashed in his drawer. One every 2 weeks for the past 6 years without fail. Jumbled scribbles speckled with the occasional misspelt word and doodle on paper rather obviously snagged from the nearest possible source, accounting for the number of letters haphazardly written on pieces of serviette or receipts. He wondered why the blonde boy even bothered writing to him.

He never did reply them anyway.

The 155th letter was different. A thin scrawl etching across the fine parchment in words desperately trying to look orderly, but failing miserably when the words "SIXTH HOKAGE" exploded out in unbridled excitement and a brash scurrying of the ink.

The two weeks in Konoha to attend the inauguration would be a pleasant reprieve from the endless amount of paperwork that seemed to only grow on his desk. Kankuro had spent a full 2 days to convince the young kazekage that the council would take care of Suna, but the absence of the burden of running the village felt alien to him.

And yet... It would be nice to visit Temari.

It took a whole of 3 months before he began to feel a strange sense of loss at the lack of her constant mothering. The occasional letter and picture reassured him that she was happier living in the leaf village.

Happier...

Wasn't becoming the Kazekage supposed to make him feel this sense of fulfillment and purpose he longed for? Wasn't he supposed to be happier? But after 4 years of protecting the village, there was an immense gap left unattended. It made him wish he never knew happiness to begin with. He felt addicted to the warm sensation of his hollow shell filled out. The slight rush he felt when greeted with the smiles of villagers instead of terrified whispers. The familiar tingle that came with the infrequent but obligatory visits to the over-excited children of the academy the siblings had established so long ago. The inexplicable swell of unidentifiable emotion whenever another terribly composed letter dropped on his desk. And for those few short minutes when his eyes scanned over the excited words, the mad rush of the world seemed to slow to a lulling halt.

Addictions were never good.

His fingers tightened around the letter again, slightly crinkling the edges, an action he regretted nearly instantly. Fingers quickly smoothed out the offensive bends, rolling up the scroll and slipping it cautiously into his satchel.

He rose to his feet soundlessly, hefting the gourd effortlessly over his travel satchel. Casting one final look at the sleeping village, he headed East.

--

The council's room was always dimly lit, the cold air clinging to the walls like scum. Cloaked figures huddled around the round table, conspiring in the looming shadows of the four Kazekage statues.

"And you are certain this will work."

A smirk went unnoticed from under the covers of the heavy white hood. "Certainly," a deep voice reassured. "And once he is gone, Sunagakure will once again be governed by the people who know what they are doing - the council. It is about time we wrestle control away from these arcane traditions and back into the hands of the future."

"You are sending but one man," another voice chimed, laced with undisguised doubt. "He would be no match for the kazekage."

"Just wait and watch, my fellow council members." he replied coldly.

"Just wait and watch."

--

The Village Hidden In the Leaves was no different from the last time he set foot in it. The maze of streets speckled with an unruly assortment of oddly shaped buildings and curious villagers even echoed a bittersweet nostalgia in his mind. Several familiar faces gave him a smile he was still unaccustomed to, receiving only a curt nod in response. The Hyuuga heiress even extended a stuttered offer to show him the way to Temari's apartment set in the heart of the convoluted city, an offer he politely declined. As politely as monosyllabic grunts went. His sister's apartment was not too difficult to find.

An annoyed looking Shikamaru answered the door after 2 rings, the scowl on his face overturning into a lop-sided smirk before being shoved violently away by his wife.

"Gaara!" Temari smiled warmly. "It's been a while."

"Hn." came the short reply. But his sister never needed long answers from him anyway. She showed him promptly to the guest room. It was not much, a far cry from the lavish interiors of the kazekage's quarters back in Suna, but it felt like enough. He set his gourd down in the corner, flinging the small pack he carried onto the futon laid on the ground.

Temari swiftly removed several articles of clothing from Gaara's pack, hanging some precariously on thin wire hangers in the cupboard. The redhead nearly smiled. He had missed her constant mothering somewhat.

"The sixth hokage told me he would want to see you when you arrived." she said without turning around, her sly grin evident in her voice. Gaara nodded, starting out the door only to be stopped by a hand pressed firmly against his shoulder.

"Gaara... Don't expect too much."

He raised a non-existent eyebrow at his sister before giving her a nod and leaving in a whirl of black silk and sand.

--

Calloused fingers drummed against the surface of the table, crystalline blue eyes furrowed in intense concentration at the formidable stack of papers in front of him. A thick silence filled the air like haze, dulling his thoughts even more. After a few tense moments, he let out a defeated sigh, slumping back into his seat.

He would never understand this.

Tsunade had already begun flinging stacks of her own paperwork at the upcoming Hokage, telling him it was her "training" for her successor. And this was by far the most miserable training the blonde had to date.

A soft rap on the door snapped him out of his paper induced stupor and introduced a masked ANBU into the room.

"Naruto-sama, the fifth Kazekage has arrived."

The blonde visibly brightened, waving ecstatically for him to show the sand nin into the cluttered office. Gaara stepped lightly into the room to be met with loud enthusiastic hollers and a jumbled mess of greetings.

"GAARA!" Naruto yelled eventually. He flung his arms out towards the taller man, contemplating a large hug for a moment before grabbing the redhead's hand instead and shaking it violently, much to Gaara's relief.

"Naruto." the slightly taller man acknowledged flatly, trying his utmost to squeeze the emotion out of his voice. There was a strange flutter in his stomach, much akin to the curious buzz he felt whenever his eyes scanned over those bimonthly letters. He shut out the niggling sensation from his senses.

_Must be the effects of the long trip here._

His eyes fell on the mountain of papers behind Naruto.

"Having problems?"

Naruto sighed, finally releasing the kazekage's hand and turning a sad glance towards the towering amount of work on his desk. "Yeah. I don't understand any of this."

Gaara picked up the slim file on the top of the stack, his eyes glossing expertly over the page. Tsunade had not thrown him anything mind-bogglingly difficult yet. But from the scribbled responses on the bottom of the paper, Naruto obviously needed some assistance. And with the odd "DATTEBAYO" finishing off every other sentence, that assistance seemed to escalate to massive proportions.

A soft sigh escaped thin lips.

"Sit." he stoically commanded, sitting himself in the stiff chair opposite the blonde. "Pen. Good. We'll do this together."

--

The sun had already begun to set on the village of Konoha, and for the first time in weeks, Naruto could see the surface of his desk. He picked another file from the much smaller stack in front of him, running a tired but satisfied hand through his blonde locks. After a few pointers from his newest paperwork mentor, he set off on the work at a frightful pace, the room, at some point, filled with 7 other clones, each hunched over another file.

Gaara watched him silently from the corner of his eye, silently closing the file he had been looking through. It had been a good 4 years since he had last seen the other Jinchûriki. The blonde locks had grown out some, and spikier if at all possible, but still radiated in the last glows of the sun. He was taller, almost slightly taller than Gaara himself, the golden tan still glowing from his sun kissed skin. Pale green eyes offered silent thanks to whatever gods kept the eye-paralyzing orange jumpsuits away, though they spied a long bright orange coat hanging in the closet.

He was almost exactly as the redhead remembered.

He felt more at ease the longer he stayed around the infectious smile of Naruto's. Perhaps the holiday was exactly what he needed.

Naruto shut the last of the files, slapping it triumphantly on the tall pile on the ground next to his desk. He stretched out his work stiffened joints languidly with a near purr, oblivious to the eyes carefully running down his toned form.

"Hey!" he chirped, spinning around to face the blank expression on his friend. "Come on. I want to show you something."

--

The wind was always more chilly on the cliff atop the stone faces of the hokage. High above the bustle of the village, away from the sanctity of the forest foliage, completely and utterly exposed to the million stars above. Gaara had never been up here. There was never a need to.

Naruto leaned heavily against the iron wrought railing at the edge, unconscious of the thin trail of sand that weaved near his foot in the event he fell off the cliff face.

"I haven't heard from you in a while." he said. "I wrote you a few letters, you know?"

"A hundred and fifty five." corrected the calm voice.

"What?"

"You wrote me a hundred and fifty five letters."

A slight tinge of crimson crept up the future Hokage's face. He counted? The blonde boy had long lost count of how many times he had written to the ex-Jinchûriki, a practice that turned from a novelty to habit to respite from the crazed endless battles and trials. A slight nervous thrill shot through him knowing that the stoic young man had read the letters. Naruto wanted to ask why he never did get a reply, but instead fell into a sort of meditative silence.

"It's a strange feeling," the blonde started as the other figure rested against the support next to him. "Getting what you've always wanted, I mean. It's like the end of a long and tiring road home."

Gaara said nothing. Had he ever felt anything like that?

A smile slipped across the upcoming Hokage's face. It had been a tumultuous struggle all the way to this point. But none of it was done in vain. The smiles of his friends, the fact that he had friends. "Everyone's happy."

"Are you happy?"

Naruto started slightly at the soft mellow voice, then lapsing back into his usual grin. "Of course dattebayo! Why wouldn't I be? Everyone has their happy ending!"

The sand nin's eyes continued staring unblinkingly at the specks of lights now springing up across the village. "I don't know if I'm happy."

A quizzical look fell across the whiskered face. "Why not? Your people love you, your siblings love you, and I'm sure you have friends now!"

"I'm very busy." _You're my only friend. _"I don't have time to find out if I am happy." _There's always something missing. _"You're very lucky."

"Huh?"

"To recognize what it's like to be happy."

The bright smile slowly returned to Naruto's face. "You already know how happiness looks like." he said. "Take Temari for example! She's found happiness with Shikamaru."

"So I have to live with Shikamaru to be happy."

The blonde face faulted. "No. I meant her happiness was with Shikamaru. She found love! One of the strongest kinds of happy there is out there."

Gaara pondered the sound of the word in the air for a moment. Love. The word carved into his forehead, yet the one emotion that felt most foreign to him.

"How do you recognize love."

Naruto scratched his head. This was a tough one. "Love... Is that one thing that truly frees you. It's that tingle in you that makes you do crazy things, stupid things, brave things. It's the rush that fills you through and through, leaving you feeling completely empty when it leaves you. It's that little voice that tells you that as long as you're with that someone, the world is right somehow. It's worth fighting for, risking everything for. And the trouble is, if you don't risk everything, you risk even more."

Green eyes widened slowly, taking in the words that hung heavily in the air. His words felt so familiar to him, slowly putting a name to the hungry emptiness in him. Things were often less formidable when labeled with a name. Yet he still felt the pang of trepidation. Love. It sounded painful.

"Have you... Ever felt love?"

Naruto beamed. "Of course! I love Sak-"

The name caught in his throat, refusing to leave his lips. Sakura. Why couldn't he say it? He loved her. He was always there for her. He saved her countless times. He wanted to protect her. He loved her. Right?

The flame he had burning for her paled in comparison with the fiery description he had just gave. He had never stopped to contemplate his feelings for her. It just felt like the natural thing to do, regardless of the endless rejection and assurances of the platonic nature of their relationship.

If it wasn't Sakura, what was this feeling in him...

"I'm hungry."

The soft firm voice snapped Naruto out of his dizzying spiral of self doubt, shaking him back to reality with an exuberant grin masking out the haze of confusion in his eyes.

"I know exactly what you need dattebayo!"

--

Thin chopsticks prodded suspiciously at the noodles swimming in the large bowl of soup with obvious distaste. Gaara cast a sidewards glance at Naruto who was already guzzling through his third bowl of ramen with insatiable gusto, fleetingly wondering how the blonde managed to breathe through the endless stream of noodles disappearing into his seemingly endless gut..

_Oh, what the hell._

The kazekage twirled several thin strands onto his wooden chopsticks, blowing lightly at the steaming noodles before gently slipping them past his lips. That wasn't so bad...

Bright blue eyes paused, watching the redhead slowly progress through the large bowl of miso ramen in front of him. There was something innately captivating about the way the kazekage held the chopsticks, the way he chewed contemplatively at the noodles, the way his soft red hair fell in front of pale green eyes narrowed in concentration, the way his arm was resting lazily against the counter, the way...

_Stop it Uzumaki! Why are you even checking him out?!  
_

Naruto blinked quickly and averted his blatant stare as Gaara's eyes shifted towards the blonde, watching the whiskered face contort with self-berating. He could have almost sworn...

Nevermind.

The rest of the dinner was a quiet affair, punctuated by the odd joke from Naruto or question from Gaara about the recent developments in Konoha. The blonde then walked his friend back to the quiet and now darkened apartment.

Sandaled feet scuffed nervously against the polished wooden ground as Gaara fished out the spare keys Temari had given him. The door unlocked with a soft click and the redhead was about to duck inside before a voice stopped him.

"Are you doing anything tomorrow?"

--

Naruto picked his way through the dozens of sealed boxes in his apartment before flopping wearily onto his bed. People were going to come in a day or so to move his belongings to the Hokage's lodgings. He cast another prolonged look about the room. He never did bother to change any of the furniture here, most of it still singing with memories and becoming much too small for him as he grew.

Bright blue eyes settled on the one thing he had yet to pack into the boxes. He lifted the photo frame, allowing the scarce moonlight to grace the picture of Team 7. Sakura...

His mind wandered to the conversation on the cliff earlier that evening. Perhaps he really only wanted to protect Sakura. She was a manifestation of everything he held dear, and protecting that was the only natural thing to do.

_If only Gaara hadn't asked me that..._

Gaara. The red haired boy rarely spoke, and when he did, it was often questions that completely befuddled him. If he had received all of his letters, why didn't he reply any of them? A buzz of annoyance flitted through his mind before quickly being replaced with a slight inexplicable excitement.

_He kept track of them._

An unconscious smile played across his lips as he slowly succumbed to exhaustion, a low mellow voice drawing him into the darkness of sleep.

--

The sun had barely risen when the annoying tapping started on the window.

At first, Gaara tried to ignore it. He had only begun to enjoy a true peaceful night's rest over the past six years and had quickly grown addicted to it, snapping violently at the staff members who had the not-so-admirable task of waking the young kage up in the mornings. He pulled the pillow over his head, snuggling his face deeper into the futon. Just a few more minutes...

The tappings continued.

Slits of pale green snapped open with groggy annoyance. Whatever was creating that infernal racket was going to be enjoying a mouthful of sand at the bottom of a desert for breakfast.

He flung open the window furiously, nearly knocking over the-

"Naruto?"

- perched outside the window sill.

The blonde stumbled unstably on the precipice momentarily before being unceremoniously hauled into the room by a bolt of sand. He rolled to a gentle halt, opening his eyes to find himself staring at a pair of bare feet. Attached to a highly annoyed looking sand nin.

"It's 6 in the morning, Uzumaki."

"We're going out!" Naruto grinned, ignoring the death stares Gaara was attempting to drill into his forehead. "Get dressed! And... Oh! Bring your gourd with you."

--

"What are we doing here."

"I used to train here when I first became a genin!"

The pair pushed their way past the thick undergrowth. The path to the old genin training grounds had long been left unattended to with the relocation of the training centre to accommodate more aspiring ninja. It left Naruto with plenty of free reign in the area, the sporadic large holes in the trees testament to his weekly romps into the forest to train.

They entered a small clearing next to the stream. It had barely changed since he first trained with Kakashi here 8 years ago. He spun around to the redhead following close behind him, now sporting a slightly bored look.

"Spar with me."

Gaara barely had time to question before Naruto leapt at him, kunai in hand. He easily sidestepped the bold swipe, sliding several feet back as sand began to spring out from the gourd on his back. An excited glint flashed in crystal blue eyes as the blonde charged again, vaulting into the air above the kazekage in a blur of movement.

"KAGE BUNSHIN NO JITSU!"

Sand swirled in a crazed whirl, shielding the pale boy from Naruto's combo attack. The sand retaliated with a viscous swipe, smashing all 5 clones into various trees with a satisfying poof of smoke.

_What the hell is he trying to do..._

Gaara's eyes swept across the empty clearing, scanning the area for signs of the loud ninja. It was unlike Naruto to go ducking through the forest instead of charging head-on into battle like a spiky battering ram.

As he contemplated, he failed to notice the 3 orange clad figures advancing from behind him.

"BEHIND YOU!"

Gaara spun around as the sand rushed upwards to protect him. A quick gesture of his hand sent a long spike lashing outwards at one of the clones, missing the other two that deftly dodged the column of sand, launching themselves at the sand nin again with a well aimed low kick.

"OVER HERE!"

The kazekage snapped his head to the right, eyes widening as a horde of Narutos began charging towards him. He grit his teeth, stifling a curse as he summoned all his sand with a large sweep of his arm, propelling it towards the incoming masses.

Naruto glanced out from his hiding spot just behind Gaara, watching him beat the clones senseless nearly effortlessly. They weren't meant to defeat him anyway. Just take his attention away long enough to...

"TAKE THIS!"

He sprung out from the tree, diving at breakneck speed towards the unguarded back presented to him.

There was a loud crash.

And Naruto found himself pinned to the trunk of a large tree, a thick cocoon of sand covering him up to his chest, a heaving Gaara glaring at him through narrowed eyes. His hand was planted firmly against Naruto, calling up the sand and dirt from the ground and encasing the Leaf ninja.

"You're not concentrating." he deadpanned between heavy breaths.

Naruto smirked. "Neither are you."

Gaara's eyes travelled downwards to the hand pressed against his chest, glowing dangerously with chakra. Somehow, the blonde had forced his arm through his sand prison.

_That's impossible..._

His eyes widened further as Naruto pushed forward against the sand, leaning towards the shocked Gaara as his concentration slipped and sand fell from around him in a cascade of yellow and gold. His heart thudded dangerously close to bursting as the blonde came closer, hot breath tingling against his cooled lips.

Then Naruto kissed him.

--


	2. Chapter 2

Author's Notes:

Please review. The beginning is a bit draggy. But it's a buildup to the later chapters. Promise. Please bear with me. And review.

Disclaimer:

Not mine. If they were, I would be rich.

The leaves were not much of a cover, but the sheer number of kage bunshin clones streaming into the area was enough of a distraction. He crouched low on the branch, watching as the kazekage cut through the approaching masses like butter. The howl of wind and sand echoed heavily through the thick wooded area as Gaara stood at the edge of clearing, in the middle of the fray. The clones were doing their job of pushing him slowly backwards, towards the tree on which the Konoha ninja was waiting.

Blue eyes admired the small precise movements, how the sand nipped swiftly, encircling the sand nin in translucent wisps. Blood red hair was tossed carelessly in the resultant wind, trailing against pale smooth skin that would have felt like heaven under his rough fingers-

Naruto shook himself. What was he thinking?

Sand whirled angrily at his feet. This was taking longer than necessary. He glared menacingly at the next wave of Narutos leaping into battle, sending four more crashing into the distant part of the woods with a quick flick of his wrists and a massive punch from the sand. He had to find the real Naruto. And it was proving more difficult than usual with the countless number of crystalline blue eyes coming his way.

There it went again. That annoying flutter in his stomach.

He wrenched his gaze away from those captivating eyes, flinging more clones away from him with a great pillar of sand that erupted from beneath the advancing figures.

There was a rustle from above him.

_Above me..._

His left hand concentrating on keeping the masses of blondes at bay, he half turned, swiftly planting his right hand against the body that had just descended from the tree. The earth below them rumbled and shattered into fine sand that erupted from the mossy ground, jettisoning up and around the real Naruto, pinning him to the tree he had leapt from.  
_  
Sneaky bastard..._

He turned his glare at the real Naruto in front of him as the blonde heaved to catch his breath. His heart beat steadily against his palm, sending tiny jolts of anxiety racing up his arm and down his spine.

"You're not concentrating." he said, pulling his thoughts away from how warm and firm the other man's chest was under his hand. His own heart thudded even faster as the blonde raised his head to meet pale green with bright blue accompanied by that disarming grin of his.

"Neither are you."

Naruto smirked in triumph, watching as the sand nin's eyes dropped to his own rough hand pressed against his chest, glowing with chakra. Gaara silently wished his heart would stop beating and betraying the convoluted emotions he fought from his cold unwavering stare.

A heartbeat quickened under his calloused palm. Clear blue eyes traced the curve of his jaw, coming to a rest at slightly apart lips, short breaths escaping through them in quick, tantalizing succession.

He did what only felt natural.

And natural had never felt so right.

He saw pale green eyes widen the slowly close again in silent surrender through his own half lidded bright blues, allowing himself a satisfied smile against the kazekage's warm and remarkably soft lips. Kage bunshin clones vanished behind them in wisps of haze as sand showered down around them.

Naruto's battle-worn fingers fisted in the black satin of Gaara's shirt, tugging the stunned redhead deeper into the kiss. A deep rush of warmth surged in his veins, infusing a heady feeling that tingled from head to toe. There had to be a word for all this...

Unresponsive.

Like a sock in the wash.

The blonde pulled away after several long moments, his eyes searching for something, anything in those pale green orbs. But there was nothing. His fingers slowly loosened on the tortured cloth, a strange unfamiliar pain beginning to spike through him like rusted nails coursing in his blood.

"I... I'm sorry..." he mumbled uneasily, pushing himself away from the emotionless face in front of him. What did he expect to happen? Dobe...

It hurt to breathe. It hurt to think. It hurt-

A hand reached up, curling around the back of his neck, pulling him back into a fiery lip lock. Once unresponsive lips now fiercely claimed the parted ones of Naruto. This was all new territory to the kazekage, tearing down all the thick walls he had paved around himself with such meticulous care. Nothing else mattered but the culmination of all his doubts, thoughts and unnamed, unheeded and uncontainable emotion into this single moment. This connection. This intensity.

_Risk everything, huh..._

--

An exhausted grunt saw Gaara to the edge of the futon as he seated himself on the soft material with the impeccable grace he never let himself be without. The day had been tiring, yet the most invigorating he had had for a very long time.

"You're back late."

Gaara offered his sister a tired nod, carefully folding the fluffy towel in his hands and handing it over to the outstretched hand hovering in front of his face.

"Well, I have laid out your robes in the closet for tomorrow's ceremony," the blonde girl said gently, turning to leave the room as Gaara flopped uncharacteristically onto the futon, his gaze softening as the haze of day dreaming claimed his mind. She smiled inwardly, shutting the door quietly behind her. Moments like these, few and far apart as they were, reminded her that her little brother was still, after all, human.

He might even enjoy what she had prepared for him...

--

The weather was perfect for welcoming the sixth Hokage.

Regardless of it being five in the morning.

Naruto stood atop the fire red building, a subdued smile hanging from his lips as he repeated his vows to office after the official of the event. His friends stood behind him, as they always did, looking onwards as the one who had brought them all together, the one who had made anything possible, the one who had brought them all to this very point, stepped forward towards his dreams.

They were always by his side. Fighting, protecting, supporting. But these last few yards, he walked alone.

The sun peaked over the edges of the forest beyond, illuminating the rooftops of Konoha in the dawn of a new day and era. He stepped determinedly forward into the light that glowed brightly around his golden hair, making him seem like the sun itself. A deafening cheer erupted from the gathered villagers as their sixth Hokage stood regally before them. This was his moment.

Gaara watched silently from his position next to Sakura, moving to remove his kazekage hat in respect for the newest kage, his eyes never leaving the young man. He felt a torrent of fulfillment flood through him. He was happy. For this man. The one who had shown him friendship, compassion, light, love.

Funny how easy it was to identify what happiness was now.

Sakura watched the smile play across the redhead's lips. The stoic sand nin was... Smiling? Her thoughts were interrupted by Naruto turning back towards his friends, flashing them his signature grin and a big thumbs up. His gaze locked and lingered on pale green eyes watching him intently and the grin simmered into a strange mix of secret understanding and quiet acknowledgement. His Gaara was smiling for him. He made an unconscious move towards his fellow kage, only to be swamped by his comrades rushing forward to capture him in a massive group hug.

Gaara's smile persisted as he watched the cheerful blonde be hoisted atop shoulders from the spot he had yet to move from. Neji stood not too far from him, observing the kazekage quietly. Something was different about the terrifying ex-Jinchuriki...

_That chakra..._

His near white eyes shot towards the thick concentration of trees just outside the gates of Konohagakure. His pupils strained with the byakuugan but the source was already gone. _It's impossible..._ He reassured himself. That person would never dare come near the village again anyway...

"GAARA!"

The redhead was suddenly pounced upon by a flash of white and red robes, nearly hurling the two kages to the ground. He looked up at Naruto's beaming face, a bright grin plastered across his face. A slight blush dusted the kage of Suna's cheeks, feeling the strange, but not at all unpleasant, feeling of the blonde's body pressed against his, the Hokage's familiar scent enveloping him, the expectant tingle he could barely control on his lips.

"You're coming to the festival with us!"

Gaara raised an eyebrow.

"What festival?"


	3. Chapter 3

Author's Notes:

Thank you all for the kind reviews. Please keep them coming! REVIEW REVIEW! My apologies once again for this chapter that is a tad short. The fluff increases and so does the main plot. Please let me know what you think.

Disclaimer:

Characters are not mine.

Explanations:  
_Yukata - casual kimono. Normally made of cotton. Sometimes referred to as a summer kimono, but there is the thicker winter version of the yukata as well  
Kaku obi - a slightly more formal cloth used as a belt for the yukata/kimono  
Zori - a type of traditional sandal  
Takoyaki - really yummy octopus baked in batter  
Poi - the special goldfish scooping paper net that breaks easily_

--

"Of course you're going!"

Gaara sighed, taking another look at himself in the mirror as his sister disappeared around the corner of the corridor. Temari had bought him a yukata especially for the celebratory festival held in the newly appointed Hokage's honor. And while yukatas were not exactly part of the redhaired youth's arsenal of clothing, this was was, admittedly, not that bad. The yukata itself was made from fine, near black material with a pattern of intricate grey stripes, tied off with a deep red kaku obi.

"Be glad you got the new one," Shikamaru groaned lethargically, slinking into the room in his dark green yukata speckled with an assortment of jumbled patterns, and smelling faintly of a decade's confinement at the bottom of a closet.

The two men grumbled silently at their outfits before being interrupted by Temari, reappearing in her own blue yukata.

"Let's get going!" she said, casting Gaara a wink that the younger sand nin completely missed.

--

Festivals were not commonplace in the village of Suna, especially not of this grand a scale. The stalls and revelling had taken over most of the streets of Konoha, the night air filled with the chorus of hundreds of voices and exuberant song. That night, the village hidden in the leaves glowed.

Gaara chewed painstakingly slowly at the takoyaki Temari had bought him before disappearing into the throngs of people, her disgruntled husband in tow. Dusk in Konoha were much warmer than the frigid desert nights of Sunagakure, and the thin cotton material of his yukata seemed to be made for this weather, lulling him into a cooled comfort.

As comfortable as one could get with four ANBU members that standing around him.

This... was nice.

The people, the sounds, the smiles, the life and energy that oozed from every corner of the Leaf village. They were celebrating. It was nothing like when he was inaugurated. Many in Suna then still held their new kazekage in deep rooted fear, shrinking away from him whenever he neared them. The streets were full of hushed whispers and the hearts of the people full of doubt. Things were very different now, though, having saved the village from Deidara's reckless attacks. But the sudden change in temperature from being monster to martyr felt so disjointed at times.

Not to mention the sudden surge in fangirls.

Gaara suppressed a shudder.

"THERE YOU ARE DATTEBAYO!"

Green eyes peered over the half eaten plate of takoyaki at the grinning Hokage in front of him. Bright blue eyes twinkled with their usual mischievous sparkle laced now with something the sand nin could not quite place. The blonde had on a dark blue yukata with small spirals adorning the material, much to the kazekage's relief at the lack of vision impairing orange.

The young leaf ninja stuck out a tanned hand, swiftly swiping one of Gaara's takoyaki and popping it into his mouth with a satisfying pop. The redhead shot him a look of mock anger, that nearly immediately softened at the sight of the cheerful grin.

"Festivals are not meant to be enjoyed from afar, Gaara-kun." Naruto smiled, gesturing at the rows of stalls along the streets.

Gaara nodded slowly, rising to his feet. He turned to the nearest ANBU, dismissing them for the evening. The younger kage's grin turned into a soft smile as he reached out to grab the redhead's hand in his own.

Damn these hands are soft.

"Lotion."

Bright azure eyes widened in befuddlement.

"My hands. Lotion. Twice a day."

A cheery laugh left the hokage as he began dragging the redhead and his scowl into the crowded streets.

--

"And so you..."

"Scoop the goldfish with the poi!"

Gaara stared blankly at the strange contraption in his hand, then at the goldfish, then at the young man next to him poised over the tank deep in concentration.

He attacked with a flash of dark blue cloth.

The poi broke.

"OJISAN! ANOTHER POI PLEASE!"

"Hai, Hokage-sama!"

The kazekage held back a chuckle as the blonde tossed the ruined net onto the growing pile next to him. They had only been at the stall for ten minutes and he had already smashed his way through 23 poi, and his bowl was still painfully empty. Pale green eyes turned back to the hapless fish in the tank, his eyes locking onto one swimming relatively near the edge, under his unmoving shadow.

With one swift motion, he slid the net into the water, creeping silently under the tiny fish before flicking it upwards and catching it deftly with his bowl.

Naruto's jaw dropped as he watched the sand nin suddenly begin tossing goldfish after goldfish into his small bowl, the thin film of his poi still miraculously intact. The water's surface barely rippled despite the redhead's rapid movements.

Ninja works at their very finest.

Then as suddenly as it began, it all stopped.

"The bowl is full."

Naruto's jaw dropped again at the sight of the overflowing bowl of fish. He laughed uneasily, helping Gaara put some of the fish back into the tank. He was supposed to be the teacher here! The redhead looked at the last 3 fish in his bowl critically before offering them to Naruto.

"Pick one."

The hokage smiled at the strange blush that had started over the sand nin's face. He picked the smallest of the three, slipping it into the bag of water. He lifted the bag to his face, giving the terrified fish a cheshire like grin and a poke at the side of the bag.

"I'll call you Nami-chan!"

--

The grassy knoll was a quiet reprieve from the cacophony of the festival packed streets, with only the muted sounds of the crowd and the light rustle of leaves breaking the silence. Naruto watched Gaara from the corner of his eye as the red head leaned back, propping himself against his arms. Even with the pale ninja not moving, he exuded an undeniably air of poise and control. The moonlight caressed the smooth skin of his cheeks, the set jawline, down his neck, disappointingly disappearing into the boundaries of his tightly bound yukata.

Naruto swallowed the urge to reach up and touch the sand nin's face, instead reaching out to hold the other ninja's hand in his own, squeezing it slightly.

A quiet tingle arced up Gaara's arm, prompting him to turn to look at the kage next to him, a tense sensation of expectant anticipation lingering in those few inches between them...

"OI! Kage-samas!"

Gaara suddenly found himself shoved a good three feet away as Naruto snapped backwards into a stiff upright position that just reeked of guilty embarrassment. Shikamaru simply gave him a curious look before seating himself beside the agitated kazekage, followed closely by an entire barrage of what was formerly the Rookie 9.

Kiba crouched next to Naruto's ear, whispering a cheeky "What were you guys doing sitting so close together" into the blonde's ear, earning him a bright red blush that nearly glowed in the darkness.

"N-NOTHING!" Naruto spluttered loudly. "JUST SOME KAGE TO KAGE TALK THAT'S ALL."

Sakura smiled lightly, plopping herself onto the grass next to Naruto as the blonde was violently pushed back next to Gaara who was, at that moment, doing an excellent job of looking nonchalant. A noisy chatter soon arose from the group on the small hill, leaving Naruto unconventionally quiet as he watched the night sky with the kazekage, focusing on the peculiar jolts that came as the form of a particular redhead pressed closely next to him. Next to the silent shinobi, the world fell into an indistinct hum in the background.

Temari turned her gaze away from her younger brother, a smile spreading across her face. This was not exactly what she had expected when she first heard her little brother would be coming to Konoha. But she was glad the young redhead had found someone. Someone who would be able to protect him, love him, understand him. And thinking about it, there was no one better for the job than the sixth Hokage. The same thought echoed in the minds of many in the group as the night sky erupted into a brilliant myriad of colors and light.

"What are you smiling about?"

She shook her head at her husband's question, instead leaning against his shoulder, watching the fireworks. Everything was alright in the world. Even if it was just for tonight.

--

Naruto set the small glass fishbowl on the desk, double checking that it was well away from the edges before allowing himself a triumphant grin.

"Hope you like your new home, Nami-chan!" he declared, giving the bewildered fish a thumbs up. Gaara leaned against the tall chair at the desk, watching the young blonde fuss over the tiny fish.

One day, he would make a great father.

The sand nin shook the strange thought from his mind. Blue eyes finally pulled away from the exhausted looking goldfish to focus on a pale green gaze. He stepped over to the kazekage, letting his hand wander where it had been forbidden to the entire night.

Gaara's breathing hitched as he felt the searching fingers entangle in his soft red locks, pulling him forward for a searing kiss. He sighed against the blonde's lips, melting into the tight embrace that surrounded him. An entire day without this contact was almost driving him insane.

The hokage reluctantly ended the kiss, pulling away slightly to search the enrapturing green eyes.

"Gaara," he began nervously. "Could you... Stay here tonight?"

The kazekage cocked his head slightly to a side. Fingers tightened their grip at the back of his head.

"I'm just not used to the room."

Naruto's gaze faltered, falling dejectedly to the sand nin's chest. The change of environment to the intricately rich interior of the hokage's room was little more than a culture shock. He found himself missing the cramped spaces, the messy bins he never cleared, the cluttered shelves, the old creaking floorboards. The only thing that felt like home right now was in his arms, gazing at the top of his head.

"Alright." Gaara agreed, eliciting a cheerful yelp from the hokage who set about figuring out where the movers had put his pajamas.

Gaara moved silently over towards the large bed. It reminded him plenty of his first night as kazekage. But then, he had no one to hold to sleep. He didn't need anyone to hold. Did falling in love make me weaker?

His eyes fell on the small velvet box on the nightstand, tucked behind the framed picture of Team 7. Was that...

"I found something you can wear, Gaara-kun!"

Pale green eyes swiveled up to land on the offensive article of clothing Naruto proudly held up, beginning to regret agreeing to stay over for the night.

"Naruto... Don't you have anything that's not orange..."

--

The cloaked figure a little less than soundlessly stepped out from the cold shadows of the room towards the lone figure by the window. Transporting himself back to Suna had been a grueling and tiresome waste of chakra. And for now, there was no need to be completely silent.

"Did you find him?" a deep voice asked without turning away from the window.

A frown formed from under the hood. "Yes. But he is with the sixth Hokage very frequently. I cannot take down two kages at the same time."

The council member clicked his tongue in irritation. "You're not strong enough to take on the kazekage by yourself as it is."

Dark eyes averted from the man to the floor. But he had a point. Even without Shunkaku, Sabaku no Gaara was no mere trifle. And there was no way of measuring how deep the red haired shinobi's chakra reserves went.

"How long would you need to be ready to fight him?"

"A month. Preparations need to be made. You'll have to get rid of those ANBU around him as well. They'll only get in the way."

"Done."


	4. Chapter 4

Author's Notes:

Thank all of you guys again for the reviews! You guys are great. Updates after this will come slower though. I'm off for a holiday to London for a couple of days before going back to work.

Disclaimer:

All characters do not belong to be. Plot does though.

Warnings:

This chapter was meant to be full of YAOI LEMONY GOODNESS. But I was excessively busy finding ways to hack into my PSP. Therefore this chapter will remain relatively clean. I will come back someday and fill in the YAOI LEMONY GOODNESS, but for now, enjoy.

--

The news came in the form of a brown hawk swooping through the Hokage's window, a single scroll strapped to its foot.

The sound of furious flapping would have prompted a groggy glare from the kazekage enough to melt ice. But Gaara was already awake and perched upon a chair drawn up at the window next to the Hokage's bed.

It had been an amazing night, wiping away any doubt in the sand nin's mind about the simple yet profound effects of being held in his sleep, foolish words whispered into his ears as he hesitantly buried his face in the soft material of the other's shirt. It would have lasted alot longer if Naruto had not begun kicking and thrashing about in his sleep, mumbling incoherent phrases about his noodles being commandeered, and effectively rousing the redhead to full consciousness at seven in the morning.

But Gaara was not complaining. He found a new form of enjoyment watching the blonde sleep, limbs tangled carelessly in the twisted sheets.

His attention turned to the hawk that came to a rest on his knee. Tired fingers untied and unravelled the scroll bound to the bird before it turned and flew back out the window in a cool rush of air.

It seemed his stay in Konoha would take longer than he thought.

--

"THEN LET'S DO THAT!"

Gaara sighed, resisting the urge to sink deeper into the seat opposite the enthusiastic Hokage. Tsunade seemed to share his resignation, a look of exhaustion smudged across her knitted brow.

The kazekage drew himself up again, leaning forward to prop his elbows up on the table. "Let's try this again... Naruto, this is a discussion. You can't just agree with everything I say."

Naruto nodded excitedly, drawing more exasperated looks from the occupants of the Hokage's office.Pale green eyes rolled upwards to the gods, searching for another few minutes of patience.

"Okay. If I were to say, all trade going into Suna from Konoha will be taxed 50 and all ramen into Konoha will be taxed 250. What do you say to that?"

A fist slammed angrily on the desk with a loud bang as the Hokage leapt out of his chair, eyes flashing with livid rage, sending a flurry of stationery scuttling off the table and into distant forgotten corners of the room.

"NO WAY DATTEBAYO!"

The kazekage smiled. Finally, they were getting somewhere.

--

The trade agreement was a troublesome affair, though not one of utmost priority. A frown tugged at the kazekage's lips. The conditions for the agreement that the Suna council members had decided on seemed to be slapped together in a rushed and haphazard manner, with little consideration for whether Konoha would be agreeable to it. Gaara had all intention of leaving the agreement for a later date when it had, preferably, been further worked upon.

But with the unanimous approval from the council, the kazekage had to act upon it.

A sigh left Gaara's lips. He had been doing that alot recently when it came to decisions of the council. Politics were never really his cup of tea.

From the formidable agenda for the drawing up of the agreement, it would take at least a month to plow through all the red tape. A month away from Suna, stuck in Konoha.

Not that he minded.

His summer days whizzed past with unprecedented speed- mornings spent at the Konoha academy helping Temari with the training of upcoming Genins. Afternoons went to discussions of the trade agreement, an aurdorous process only alleviated by a certain blonde's presence and thoroughly infectious smile. Evenings were devoted to ramen at the Ichiraku.

The villagers had gotten used to having the silent sand nin amongst them, giving him kindly looks he had yet to get used to. He even found the time to get further acquainted with the other Leaf nins, shattering some old preceptions of them, and reinforcing others. But they had generally accepted him into their large posse. Friends. A new concept to him but he could see why his blonde ninja fought for them with such fervent passion. It was all a simple, near monotonous routine, yet was exactly the stability he was looking for. The last piece of the puzzle he was looking for. The happiness he was looking for.

And he could do this for the rest of his life.

However, as much as he would have liked to imagine this was forever, daily reminders of the life he DID live came in the form of a pure white pigeon Kankuro sent with the day to day reports on the happenings in Suna. The flutter of white that came through his window each morning was a gentle reminder of much heavier responsibilities back in his village, and that he was still, however far away, their kazekage.

It was precisely one month later that the second sand hawk arrived in Konoha.

Gaara snagged the thin scroll from the hawk's talon and unfurled it with a slight annoyance. If it was some other menial task to do, he would...

Pale green eyes widened in shock and anger at the words on the scroll. He crushed the paper in his hand, turning quickly to the ANBU next to him.

"Take the rest of your team and return to Sunagakure at once." he commanded, the urgency tinging his usually cold tone. "Suna is under heavy attack. Go directly to Kankuro and find the perpetrators. Halt any riots you come across."

An unseen look of fear and anxiety flashed across the face behind the procelain mask. The ninja bowed briefly and disappeared with his squad in a blur of black movement, leaving a single guard behind.

Gaara looked at the last ninja with a mix of puzzlement and irritation. "Why are you still here."

The raccoon masked ANBU ninja bowed politely. "I am under direct orders from Captain Matsuri to accompany you at all times, regardless of the circumstance, Kazekage-sama."

A smile ghosted across his lips. Matsuri, the ever over-protective ANBU captain. Even when it was physically impossible for her to personally watch over the kage, she always made provisions for the worst situations.

He turned back from his path to Ichiraku and ran back towards the apartment.

"Pack your things. We leave at daybreak."

--

Gaara folded his new yukata carefully, turning to place it into his satchel. A dark shadow clouded the crimson sunset that lit the room.

"You weren't at ramen tonight."

He did not have to look up to recognize the figure at his window sill.

"There is a crisis in Suna," he explained, continuing to pack. "I will be leaving at dawn."

"I'll go with you."

"Your village needs you here, Hokage."

"Well, at least take some Konoha ninjas with you."

"It's alright," the redhead replied without turning around. "We should be able to handle this. I will send word when I arrive to update you on the situation."

Naruto sulked, hopping off the window and into the room. He glared at the sand nin in frustration, stomping about the room loudly to emphasize that point. "Let me do something!"

Gaara finally looked up from his open satchel. He slowly turned to his irate boyfriend, gently putting a hand to his face. He would miss the feel of those whisker-like lines under his fingers. "I'll be fine."

The blonde huffed, turning to look out the window. He had not quite contemplated how it would be like to be without the sand nin around. It was an inevitability he refused to think about, always putting it off for another tomorrow. Now, he was out of tomorrows.

A warm body pressed against his back, a forehead resting lightly against his hair. He felt the kazekage's warm breath tickle the back of his neck, sending little jolts down his spine. The blonde spikes that ran down his neck muffled the low voice that came from behind him into a ticklish rumble.

"Don't worry."

Naruto held back a low chuckle, turning to look deep into pale green eyes. "Worry? About the fifth kazekage? Try again."

"How about... I'll feel a hollow, crushing emptiness without you while I'm gone."

"Much better." the hokage said softly, pulling the sand nin in for a kiss. Gaara instinctively leaned into the kiss, losing himself in the warm embrace and the fingers tangling themselves in his hair, rubbing gently at the nape of his neck.

If this was going to be his last night with the red haired enigma in many to come, he was sure as hell going to make the best of it.

The sun had barely begun to creep into the room when bright azure eyes cracked open blearily. He fumbled and tossed clumsily in the small futon for several moments, his thrashing about coming to one conclusion: there was an empty space beside him.

"Go back to sleep, Naruto," a firm voice said.

The Hokage turned his head towards Gaara sitting at the edge of the futon who had begun pulling on his long black coat, his pack by his feet. He was leaving already. Naruto struggled to sit up, fumbling for the words that caught painfully in his throat. Goodbyes were always so difficult.

"Wait..."

The nervous hand on his shoulder prompted the red haired young man to turn around, a question on his lips. Green eyes widened as Naruto pulled out a small velvet box from the pair of rumpled pants discarded carelessly next to them the night before. He carefully flipped it open to reveal a brilliant yet simple silver band.  
_  
What was he doing? _

"Naruto..."

_He had to put a stop to this before it got too far..._

A calloused finger pressed against the sand nin's lips.

"I know. It's really too early for this. Just take this as my promise to you," he said, looking into the green eyes with a subdued intensity the flame haired man had never seen before.  
_  
Don't do this, Naruto..._

"My promise that no matter how far, no matter what it takes. I'll risk everything.

_I can't..._

"Sabaku no Gaara. Would you-"


	5. Chapter 5

Author's Note:

Long chapter! My apologies for the cliffy. It was getting too long. The build up is finally getting paid off. REVIEWS PLEASE!

I'm reworking the previous chapter to include the lemon scene. Unfortunately, that scene is vital for the story. You'll see why.

Japanese lesson!

_Bunshin Jitsu - Cloning technique_

_Chidori Senbon - variation of chidori that targets and damages multiple places on the target_

_Katon Gouryuka No Jutsu - Fire Release Great Dragon Fire Technique_

_Kirin - high chakra consumption move that uses real lightning to power it_

_Suna no Tama - Sphere of sand_

_Ryusa Bakuryu - Sand Tsunami_

_Sabaku Taisou - Desert Imperial Funeral_

_Owari - The End (something Gaara says in the game after a major blow)_

--

Large emerald eyes stared blankly down into the already cooled ramen. The tiny stall was already devoid of customers, the owners casting her a sad look of unspoken understanding before disappearing into the back. She would not be finding what she was looking for here tonight.

The noodles had long congealed into one another, turning into one large soggy mess that she prodded at uninterested with the chopsticks she had yet to break apart. She had been here for 4 hours now. Something was wrong.

She absentmindedly lifted a hunk of noodles up towards her, her thoughts a million miles away from the ramen shop. He came here every night. She would just have to wait it out. He'll be here. He's definitely-

A hand shot out, wrapping itself around her wrist, gently but firmly stopping it inches from her lips.

"I wouldn't eat that, if I were you."

Sakura blinked away the cloud of muddled thoughts in her mind, her eyes darting to the mushy lump of desolation in front of her face, sending it clattering back into her bowl in a fountain of soup and wood.

Neji retracted his hand, turning back to his cup of green tea.

_How long has he been sitting there? How long have I been sitting here?_

"He's not coming tonight," the grey eyed young man said calmly, his gaze unfaltering. Sakura looked curiously at the long haired shinobi, a question lingering at the tip of her tongue.

"I know you are waiting for Naruto."

Pink hair flopped dejectedly in front of her saddened eyes. "I..." She began uncertainly. "I just wanted to talk to him..."

The past month had been relatively calm, which was what bothered her the most. She never realized how much of her life was the blonde haired ninja, her days falling uncomfortably quiet and still with the stark absence of his daily requests for dates with the medical nin - dates that she always, rather instinctively declined.

"I thought something might have happened to him," her voice filled with questioning, mostly at herself.

Neji set his cup down on the counter. He never enjoyed being the bearer of news, either good or bad. But watching the pink haired girl drown in her own misconceptions was too painful to let by.

"You still don't know, do you?"

His soft and gentle voice was tinged with a taint of pity, a tone that caused the medical nin to look back towards the Hyuuga.

Neji sighed. "Then it is not my place to tell you. You should speak to Naruto yourself."

Her eyes glazed over the worn signboard of the ramen store, never really registering the words. How long had she been looking at the mischievous blonde shinobi, but never really seeing him. He was the incessant noise in her life, without which, everything just seemed so...

"It's just so quiet without him around."

"I know."

--

Kankuro leaned against the frigid metal of the railing, relishing its contrast to the excessive heat of the already receding day. He could understand why Gaara chose to spend many evenings perched upon this rooftop. The calm of the village below felt reassuring, and fulfilling, knowing that, at least for tonight, the people of Suna could rest peacefully.

Handling the council over the past month was not as torturous as he had thought it would be. He never saw the formidable mountains of paperwork that nearly always towered the furniture in the Kazekage's office. He never had to sign anything more important that approving D-rank missions for new Genins. And they hardly ever called him down to sit with them in meetings as the kazekage's representative.

This was easier than he thought it would be.

A rustle of wind behind him pulled him out of his thoughts.

"Have the trade discussions concluded?" he asked without turning to the masked ANBU behind him.

"No, Kankuro-sama," replied the shinobi behind the monkey mask solemnly. "We returned on the kazekage's orders, after receiving news of Suna being under attack."

The sand nin quirked an eyebrow, finally turning to look at the group of ANBU in front of him. It seemed like nearly all of Gaara's security detail were here, sans the kage himself.

"Attack? There's nothing going-"

Realization smacked him painfully across his face, leaving an angry grimace in its wake. He looked the ANBU ninja sternly, mustering all the strength he could to maintain his composure.

"Take your men and assemble a squad of Jonins then meet me at the village entrance in ten minutes," the puppet master ordered curtly, turning quickly to run back into the building towards the weapons store.

"The kazekage is in trouble."

--

Naruto walked slowly along the streets back towards the Hokage's building. A normally short walk turned into an arduous journey of seemingly epic proportions. It hurt slightly to walk after the activities of the night before, resulting in a curious limp that drew several concerned glances from various villagers. It also drew to him several offers to help, all which he bashfully declined with a nervous laugh, attempting to speed his hobbling up to an awkward jog.

Damn this chafing.

_"I told you you'd regret it." _Kyuubi snickered from his subconscious. Naruto offered the fox a dirty look. He had a difficult time trying to keep the bijuu quiet throughout the night as it shot him frequent warnings.

"It'll go away in a couple of hours," the blonde hissed under his breath. "Nothing I can't deal with, you stupid fox."

_"Your butt is going to be the least of your problems, kit."_

"ENOUGH ALREADY!"

The ninjas in the hallway stopped dead in their tracks, blinking in surprise at their Hokage's sudden outburst. Naruto shot them a sheepish grin, then launching into an off-key song named "Enough Already", while turning a sharp corner towards the Hokage's room.

He waved away the ANBU guards outside the Hokage's quarters, leaning heavily against the thick wooden doors of the room. Making a mental note to find better sources of lubrication for the next time around, he slowly and painstakingly made his way over to the closet. First to change out of these clothes. As much as he would have loved to stay in those rumpled clothing that smelled so faintly of his lover, "scruffy" was not an appropriate dress code for the many meetings he had that afternoon.

There was a soft plop of water from the desk.

"NAMI-CHAN!"

With anxiety-striken eyes, he rushed towards the small goldfish that had leapt out of the water, now thrashing wildly on the soft carpeted floor. With great difficulty, he lunged at it, deftly catching the floundering fish between gentle palms, then easing it back into the water. He watched as the tiny fish bobbed about disoriented in the water for several moments before returning to swimming in loops as it always did.

"Silly fish," Naruto berated, pointing a reprimanding finger at the nonchalant pet. "You got me all worried and-"

A cold chill swept over him.

Azure eyes widened impossibly as a sudden fear gripped at his chest.

"Gaara..."

In a flurry of black and orange, he spun around, heading towards the door. He needed to get to Gaara. Something was wrong. He felt it. He knew it. And he wasn't about to break his promise just hours after making it.

_no matter how far, no matter what it takes_

A sudden burst of pain sent him crashing to his knees, clutching at his stomach. He let out a loud howl, alerting the ANBU guards at the door who burst into the room, followed closely by a streak of red and pink. His vision turned to darkness as a figure loomed over him, Sakura's shrieks of horror echoing dully in his head.

--

"Naruto..."

The sand nin stopped, looking behind him instinctively to see nothing but empty, still forest behind them. He could have sworn he had heard...

"Kazekage-sama?"

Gaara shook his head, turning back towards the long road ahead of them. "It's nothing. Let's continue."

"Hai," the ANBU guard nodded, leaping off the branch as they continued on their journey. "We are nearly halfway to Suna."

The redhead let out an inward sigh. If they had only set out earlier, they would be a little more than halfway across the 3 day journey. Every minute away from his village felt like a taste of eternity, the familiar road between the two villages seemed to drag on relentlessly. He should have left the night before...

He unconsciously fingered the slim band on his finger. Naruto's voice echoed softly at the back of his head, firing up a longing in the redhead to be back in Konoha, back in those arms. Perhaps it was worth it...

There was a sudden flash of light.

"KAZEKAGE-SAMA!"

The redhead found himself hurtling towards the right at a frightful speed as the ANBU guard rammed into his side, pushing him from the path of a bolt of electricity that arced through the air. The air crackled with static as they rolled unceremoniously into a small clearing, the smell of charred leaves staining the air.

The ANBU guard stepped lightly back onto her feet, whipping out her kunai, standing protectively over her kage. A dull laugh echoed from around them. Gaara's darkened eyes narrowed at its cold familiarity, darting about rapidly from shadow to shadow, trying to locate its source. The voice seemed to come from every direction, from every shadow, from every tree, every leaf all at once.

"You're late, Godaime Kazekage... And it's not nice to keep people waiting..."

Gaara tensed visibly, his hand flitting imperceptibly by his side, summoning the sand from the large gourd on his back. The sand shifted and swirled around the two sand nins, pushing the kazekage back to his feet before spinning around them in curtains of anticipation.

"Stay close." he growled under his breath. The ANBU nodded in acknowledgement, a hand reaching for the pouch of shuriken behind her.

"Three, Sabaku no Gaara," the voice drawled haughtily. "I will kill you in three blows."

Before Gaara had the time to react, a flash of silver glinted from the corner of his eye. The sand whipped up just in time to deflect the thrown kunai, sending them ricocheting deep into the nearby trees.

He allowed himself a slight smirk. If this assassin thought a bunch of shuriken could finish off Suna's kazekage, they-

His thoughts were abruptly cut off by a flash of white in front of him. A smile from somewhere in his past greeted him before a hand thrust through a gap in the sand, stopping directly in front of the redhead's face.

The sand quickly formed around the hand, locking it in place instinctively. But it was too slow. The single hand through the sand formed a jitsu.

"Katon: Ryūka no Jutsu." recited a calm, deep voice.

Fire shot out from the outstretched palm, rushing towards the kazekage. Gaara side stepped the burst of fire, only to be hit by the flames that rebounded off the sides of his sand dome.

The burning pain in his right shoulder caused the sand barrier to falter, the walls crumbling slightly around him and the ANBU guard. The masked ninja swiftly pounced through the weakened walls at the intruder, lashing out with deadly accuracy. The edge of her kunai caught white cloth, ripping it clean apart.

Dark eyes glinted with amusement as he took a step backwards, narrowly missing the attack. The ANBU calmly retreated two steps, her hands flying into a quick succession of hand signs, copying herself three times.

"Bunshin Jitsu?" the perpetrator laughed mockingly. "You're underestimating me."

Disregarding the snide comments, the masked ninja leaped towards the dark haired attacker, only to be sent crashing through several trees moments later, slumping limply against the enormous indentation in the trunk.

"My fight is not with you, ANBU."

The stranger turned his attention back to Gaara who had recovered from the earlier attack. The kazekage crossed his arms, shooting the dark haired man a stare of murderous intent. They met again, after so many years...

"Sabaku no Gaara..." the deep voice smirked. "It has been a while."

Pale green eyes remained expressionless, cautiously regarding the man in front of him.

"And you are still as pathetic as before...

Uchiha Sasuke."

--

The Konoha hospital was in a state of emergency.

Sakura rushed about the small room, preparing different mixes of remedies, once ever so often casting a furtive glance at the unconscious Naruto lying on the cold steel of the table. Her hands shook violently. Her concentration was slipping. What was happening to Naruto? What could she do to help him? What was she looking for again?

"Sakura-san," the medical nin behind her called out, two fingers pressed against a limp tanned wrist. "The Hokage's pulse is weakening."

Bright green eyes flashed pure terror. She was about to lose him. Her hands scrambled to grab any and every bottle within reach, scattering them noisily across the preparation table. Something had to work. Something here would help...

"Stop, Sakura."

A firm hand on her shoulder snapped her out of her maddened panic and her eyes flew to meet those of-

"Tsunade-sama!"

The fifth hokage nodded briefly at her protege, moving swiftly to Naruto's side. In one swift motion, she ripped open the obstructive material of his shirt, placing a palm firmly against his bare chest.

"Sakura," she said without looking away from her task. "Wait outside. You're no good to us here the way you are now."

The pink-haired shinobi nodded numbly, stumbling out the doors of the operating theatre, eyes glued to the persistent image of the unresponsive Naruto disappearing behind thick doors. She slumped dejectedly into the chair in front of the doors, the trembles refusing to stop.

Tsunade watched the doors close from the corner of her eyes before turning to the medic nin beside her.

"Fetch Hinata now." she ordered.

The shinobi nodded briefly, running out the door towards the other wing in the hospital. It was only then that the fifth hokage let shock consume her, her eyes widening as she continued her examination of the blonde before her.

"Naruto... What have you done..."

--

The air was choked with a suffocating mixture of sand and ash, punctuated with the sounds of muffled explosions and hot crackling. The small clearing from before had quickly become a large open space of charred wood and leveled ground. Gaara heaved several heavy breaths, his glare unwavering from the dark haired blur racing towards him in the latest of an endless barrage of attacks.

"CHIDORI SENBON!"

Bright blue light crashed effortlessly through the thin sand wall the sand nin had hastily drawn up in front of him, allowing the powerful jitsu to slam right into his body, riddling him with a multitude of burnt gashes. Pale green eyes shot open from the pain as bones cracked from the direct hit.

The kazekage flew several feet into the air, crashing to a stop several metres away from his incapacitated ANBU guard. Sasuke grinned through his exhaustion. The sand nin definitely had an enormous expanse of chakra, and by pulling out all the stops while maintaining his sharingan, the former leaf nin was fast running low on energy. But all those reserves would mean nothing after he finished him with the next two moves.

It was all or nothing now.

"KATON GOURYUKA NO JUTSU!"

Enormous columns of fire burst out from around him, lurching into the sky before morphing into the shape of dragons that wound and twisted their way deep into the clouds above. There was an ear-shattering crack as the skies suddenly darkened, the clouds swarming menacingly as clear blue turned to foreboding black. Thunder boomed and rumbled in the billowing clouds, peppered with bright arcs of lightning.

Sasuke raised a hand into the air again, concentrating all his remaining chakra into his palm as a searingly blue orb began to grow in his palm.

"KIRIN!"

Lightning tore down the sky, locking into the charged energy in Sasuke's hand. The orb exploded in blinding light, forcing the red head to raise a hand, shielding his eyes from the excessive light that threatened to melt his vision in a field of pure, burning white. A figure burst out from the light, the contrasting dark figure running towards him, the sizzling orb readied in his palm.

Gaara reached out, grabbing the stunned ANBU guard and pulling her close to him as his other hand rocketed upwards.

"SUNA NO TAMA!"

The protective sphere of sand erupted around them, encasing them in darkness as the enormous wave of electricity crashed down on the protective shield. But the sand was not enough...

The barrier began to crack, jagged lines slithering down the sides of the dome. The sand nin grunted in exertion, pushing back harder, summoning more sand from the ground around them. The earth began to tremble angrily from the immense forces colliding. Seconds after it began, the electricity stopped, the clearing suddenly falling into absolute darkness. The sand dome collapsed around them in a shower of golden sand, revealing a livid kazekage, hands already in a familiar jitsu.

Dark eyes widened in shock.

_How is he still alive..._

"RYUSA BAKURYU!"

A tsunami of sand hurled itself upwards from behind the kazekage, towering high above them, blotting out the darkened sky in a blanket of pure darkness. It hovered in the air for a potent moment, gathering mass with a sickening rumble that seemed to come from everywhere.

Then, it attacked.

Sasuke did the only thing he could.

He ran.

The sand whipped angrily at him, enormous claws erupting from its surface, swiping at him as he dodged each blow, leaping from tree to tree. Each tree instantly exploded in a shower of sand, saw dust and splinters as he left them. He could see the edge of the forest. It was just-

The sand swelled again, slamming downwards on the entire area in a final rush, engulfing most of the forest in a blanket of sand, drowning the missing-nin in a flood of gold.

There was no escape.

Gaara slammed two palms down onto the newly formed mountain of sand. The words leaving him in a scream of finality.

"SABAKY TAISOU!"

The centre of the mass of sand promptly compressed and sank downwards in an enormous crater. The deafening sound of hundreds of trees splintering rang in the air.

"Owari desu."

--

Kankuro waved away the clouds of dust and sand that had suddenly bloomed in the air. There was a distant explosion of light and a thunderous cacophony of sound ahead.

The puppet master cursed loudly, picking up his pace. "Damn. We're late."

His ten man team sprinted faster, their sandals soon leaving grass to crunch on sand. They were close.

They waded through the thick haze of smoke, eyes scanning frantically about the wreckage of smashed trees poking through thick sand. Ahead in the dust were two figures hunched over in agony.

"GAARA!"

Kankuro ran towards his brother as the redhead toppled forwards into the arms of the ANBU. She staggered slightly before steadying herself and the unconscious redhead, his blood beginning to seep into her robes.

"Kazekage-sama has sustained injuries, Kankuro-sama," the ANBU reported, trying her utmost to squeeze all emotion out of her voice. "We were attacked by the missing leaf nin, Uchiha Sasuke."

The older sand nin narrowed his eyes. Uchiha... If he was back, it did not bode well for anyone. He quickly hefted the limp body of his younger brother off the ANBU, hoisting him into his arms.

_"Baka..."_ he mentally nagged at the both of them.

He cast a final look at the scene of utter devastation before him. No one could have survived that. But they would have to come back and make sure the Uchiha was dead. Later. Now, they needed to get to a hospital, and fast.

"Konohagakure is just east of here." an ANBU said, reading the older sand sibling's telling facial expressions. He raised a painted face, a disturbing blend of anger and worry streaked across his face more blatant than the bright purple paint.

"Konoha. Now."

--

Review please!


	6. Chapter 6

Author's Notes:

This... is where the story spirals out of control. Be warned. Read. Then review. PLEASE. :D Your lovely reviews are the only things that keep my fingers typing through odd hours of the night, disregarding the fact that I have to be up at seven to get to work...

--

Green eyes flickered open.

They blinked twice, adjusting to the excessive amount of white in the room.

A nose crinkled in repulsion at the sickening smell of the sterilized air.

_Where... Wasn't I in a battle? Who was I fighting? Did I win? Am I-_

"UCHIHA!"

Gaara suddenly shot upright, sending the hospital sheets to the end of the bed in a rumpled heap, his eyes wild with confused fury. The large gourd in the corner of the room swayed gently from the sand that had begun to swirl angrily within. He reached for the gourd, only to have his hands jerked back by a barrage of thin tubes that snaked out from the top of his hand.

"Not exactly the first name I would have imagined coming out from you."

The redhead turned to see Temari seated quietly next to him, her eyes reddened from the evident lack of sleep. He calmed slightly at the sight of his older sister, settling back uneasily onto the thin mattress, his eyes tracing the twisted length of tubes to the small IV bag dangling beside his bed.

"You're back in Konoha," the blonde girl began, watching her younger brother prod at the clear bag. "You were severely dehydrated after running towards Suna for a day straight without stopping. Tsunade had to patch you up AND pump you full of water. Baka."

Gaara's eyes narrowed slightly. He had been called that a little too often recently. He shook the slight irritation from his mind. There were more pressing matters.

"Is Suna-"

"Sunagakure is fine," she reassured. "It was all an elaborate attempt on your life. We have yet to figure out the true intent of the assassin, but Kankuro is speaking to the fifth hokage now about arranging for an escort for you back to the village."

Gaara nodded curtly. It was far too dangerous to attempt another crossing alone, at least not until they had determined exactly what the attacker wanted.

What Sasuke wanted.

His eyes narrowed at the thought of the dark haired missing nin, thoroughly unable to concentrate.

"I need to speak to the hokage now." the young man said, attempting to haul himself off the side of the bed, consistently getting entangled in the mess of tubes.

"Kazekage-sama."

Gaara paused his futile attempts to slide off the bed as Tsunade walked briskly into the room. As if on cue, Temari got up from her seat, casting one last look at her brother before stepping out of the room, shutting the door with a soft thud behind her. The air in the room was excessively still, the piercing silence only punctuated by the formidable female nin's footsteps towards the bed. But its discomfort was nothing compared to the saddened stare of the strong medical nin.

"Naruto."

"What about him."

She sighed. "I'm not going to sugar coat this, Gaara. I know what is going on between the two of you. And while I have no personal objections to it, it is precisely this reason that he is lying in my operating room now."

Pale green eyes widened, fear clawing at his throat, choking the barrage of questions. Naruto was in the hospital as well? The kazekage scrambled clumsily on the bed, shirking off his usual calm demeanor for now. He had to get to him. He needed him now.

A strong hand shoved him back into the bed. Gaara glared at the yellow haired obstruction towards the door. Tsunade shot him a stern look that quickly silenced any further thoughts in his mind of leaving the room.

"Naruto collapsed yesterday afternoon," the medic nin continued. "Our initial examinations could not find anything wrong with him. But upon bringing in a specialist, she found the cause to be a complete imbalance of more than one chakra in his body, causing his organs to begin to shut down."

"Chakra imbalance? But he has always had Kyuubi in him. Why-"

Tsunade cut him off mid-sentence. "Let me finish. There are now three different chakras in his body.

She let the quizzical look of confusion pass over the kazekage's face before continuing.

"We managed to stabilize him for now. But it won't last forever."

A look of cold realization passed over the kazekage. Fear. It was not an emotion he felt often. Yet the thought of losing him filled the sand nin with a dread that could not be placed in words. His stoicism faltered. "What exactly is wrong with him."

"It's called an abdominal ectopic... pregnancy." Tsunade said finally, not believing the words coming out from her mouth. "It's extremely rare. His body is not built for housing two life forces, like a woman's would be. The source of the life force is coming from the right side of his stomach."

Gaara did everything he could to stop from stuttering. "Pregnant? How is that even possible."

"Birth is, quite simply, the creation of life force. Your... Cells in his body were the setting. The collision of both your chakras was the trigger for it. Both your charkas must have been under extreme emotional duress to be released in such great a quantity. Additionally, neither of your chakra elements dominates the other. So they mix, neither losing any of their original power or potency. The mixing of chakra at that intensity caused the creation of life force. The creation of life force from chakra is only known in one other instance: the first hokage's Mokuton."

"The jitsu to create trees?"

"Precisely. Otherwise, there would be no connection between chakra and life force."

Gaara sank back into his bed, the information overload starting to fizzle the connections in his brain. He had barely begun acclimatizing to the heady sensations of having someone precious to him, and now he had to deal with the insane prospect of a child? His eyes stared blankly at the sheets trapped in his fisted hands, Tsunade's words resounding dully at the back of his head.

"The problem now is that the extra life force is destroying Naruto's body. It's growth is exponential, fed by the rapid regeneration abilities of the Kyuubi. But now, I have to ask you a question that I never thought I would have to ask."

Gaara looked up from his lap, turning his gaze to meet the melancholic one of the medic nin.

"In most cases of AEP, we remove the child before it endangers the patient's life. If we do, the child dies. However, if we don't remove it, Naruto may be dead by this time tomorrow. In either case, the procedure is extremely dangerous and will take at least a full day. I will need to know your decision on this matter."

The redhead remained silent, a myriad of conflicting emotions flashing behind his green eyes.

Tsunade rose silently from her seat, leaving a bewildered Gaara staring blankly after her.

"I... Will need to speak to Naruto about this."

"Certainly."

--

Sasuke stumbled wearily into the empty room, all but collapsing on the ground as he hauled himself the final steps towards the dirty futon on the ground. His hand clung feebly to the deep bruise on the side of his chest, white robes now stained the deep red of blood.

"I take it Sabaku no Gaara lives?"

Sasuke hissed angrily at the hooded figure that lurked imperceptibly in the shadowy corner of the tiny room. "He is alot stronger than you think he is. His chakra reserves are-"

"Depleted, at best, right now." the deep voice finished. "He won't be leaving Konoha for a long time."

Dark eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Was this your plan all along? For my battle with him to be just a diversion? What game do you think you're playing here?"

"Sacrifices are necessary for victory, Sasuke." the robes said, stalking along the walls of the small room. "Even you know that."

Sasuke lost his words.

The tall shadow smirked from under the hooded uniform of Suna's council. He just had to placate the Uchiha for now. Until his plan was well under way. "Now all three of them are out of Suna, we can go on to phase two."

He tossed a dirty, handwritten parchment on the ground next to Sasuke before turning towards the dirt stained door.

"This is the list of Suna's council. Take care of them."

"How is taking over Sunagakure even relevant..."

A pale hand paused over the doorknob. "Konoha's greatest strength is in its allies. The greatest of which is Suna. Without its allies, Konoha will be crushed."

"You mean the Konoha council will be destroyed."

"There are casualties in every war."

"We agreed not to harm the villagers."

"I remember our agreement." He turned and left the room, shutting the door behind him with a frown. Sasuke was too naive for his own good. To think that all he had gone through would have hardened his senses more. He would have been much more useful had he learnt this one essential fact.

It was too late for that now. The gears were already in motion.

--

Bright blue eyes cracked open, meeting the concerned green ones.

"Gaara?"

Sakura's eyes widened slightly before slinking back behind long lashes. She let out a quiet sigh of half-relief, half-disappointment as she leaned back into her chair next to the operating table.

Naruto squinted painfully, shielding his eyes with the back of his hand, his lips twisting into a frown.

"It's too bright, dattebayo..."

"You're in the operating room," Sakura replied softly. "It has to be bright."

The blonde let out a frustrated grunt. The light was too bright. The air was too cold. The table was too hard. He did not like it here in the least, his discomfort clearly evident in his endless groggy shifting on the operating table.

"What am I doing here... I need to get back to work... Lots... of papers to sign..."

Sakura allowed herself a slight smile. "Tsunade will be taking over your duties for the next few days. You need to concentrate on resting. She's been handling the Suna crisis quite-"

"Suna crisis?" Naruto exclaimed suddenly, struggling wildly to sit up. "I need to... Suna is... Gaara is..."

"I'm here."

The redhead stood framed by the doorway, his normal stoic expression marred by something unidentifiable...

Sakura rose from her seat, leaving the room quickly, slipping past the slim kazekage poised at the entrance. She spied a bright grin popping up on Naruto's face and his renewed his attempts to launch himself off the table as the door slid shut slowly behind her.

You don't smile for me anymore...

"Don't get up." Gaara said in a low voice, gently but firmly pressing the blonde back down. He eased the frustrated looking hokage back onto the table.

Naruto scowled as the light spilled back into his eyes. "I don't like it here."

The room suddenly darkened considerably. Naruto blinked, his eyes slowly adjusting to the new darkness as they made out the thin film of sand that had enveloped the excessively bright lamp above him, muting the light to a more acceptable level. The blonde cast the sand nin a grateful smile, sighing as he wriggled on the table, futilely trying to find a comfortable position.

"Naruto..." Gaara began, squeezing the calloused hand in his own. "We need to talk."

The whiskered boy stopped squirming, raising a querying eyebrow at his lover. The redhead had always been serious, but there was a strange uncertainty in his voice that felt foreign on the kazekage. His fingers felt the cool surface of a familiar silver band.

The blonde smiled. "You wore it..."

The sand nin gave him an unreadable look, a curious warmth creeping onto his cheeks. He quickly set aside the bubbling up of emotions, diverting the leaf nin's attention with a soft "How are you feeling?"

"Much better, dattebayo!" the blonde chirped, shooting the pale boy a wide grin. "I can go back to work now!"

Pale green eyes rolled upwards in exasperation. Beating about the bush was never his forte, neither was it the choice manner of communicating with the excitable leaf nin.

"Naruto... You're..."

That day, the earth shattering screams of disbelief were heard across Konoha.

--

There was a soft rap on the door, alerting the medic nin from the paperwork she was barely reading. She had tried to drown herself in the increasing pile of work on Naruto's desk, but her mind was firmly locked away in the operating theatre.

"Enter."

The door opened hesitantly, a quality not known to come with the green eyed kazekage that stepped gingerly into the room. His gaze met hers, betraying the nervousness behind them. She set the paper down, threading her fingers together as she propped her elbows up on the table, observing the young kage wordlessly.

Gaara met her scrutinizing gaze with his own, the familiar coldness of his voice returning to him, a welcomed retreat from the seriousness of his imminent decision.

"Tsunade-sama," he began quietly. "We have made our decision."

--

I know. Strange story. It gets worse. Please review.


	7. Chapter 7

Author's Note:

Yeah I know. I didn't like the last chapter either. Felt like I squeezed it out of the tips of my reluctant fingers. And I'm terribly sorry I spawned and set it loose on the world. On the other hand, it's just the tip of the iceberg that spirals downwards in a horrible horrible... spiraly... doom... thing.

Just as a warning for those who have never read my stories. I tend to write incomprehensibly sad stories that make people go "WHY WOULD SHE WRITE SOMETHING LIKE THAT?!"

I constantly question myself too.

Enjoy this next chapter of my strange imagination. Then review. Please. Let me know what you think (especially if it's getting out of hand)

I actually had no idea what mpreg meant until after a good 1 hour of thinking while stirring my pot of rice.

--

"I see..." Tsunade's voice was low, her mind beginning to fill with preparations for the long procedure ahead. She glanced over to the redhead still adorning the entrance to the room, his pale green eyes glazed over, finding the carpeted ground remarkably fascinating.

She sighed, leaning back into the chair. "Are you alright with this decision, Gaara-kun?"

The kazekage looked up, finding intense discomfort in meeting her probing gaze, instead turning his blank stare to the space just above her left shoulder. Of course this was not his choice. He never wanted this to happen in the first place.

"This is a very dangerous procedure," Tsunade explained slowly. "Timing is everything. Too soon and the child will die after exposure to the environment. Too late and we-"

"Tsunade-sama," the sand nin interjected impatiently. "If anything happens to Naruto... The child..."

_I can't lose him._

_Having him hate me for the rest of my life is a consequence I can bear._

_Living a life without him is one I cannot._

The medic nin smiled. She rose from the large chair, moving to leave the room. As she passed the unmoving figure in the doorway, she rested a hand on his shoulder.

"I understand, kazekage Gaara."

--

"Are you sure?"

Neji's eyes narrowed in concentration, ignoring Kankuro's seemingly endless barrage of "are you sure"s and "can you see anything yet"s. It was not too difficult to see through the vast ocean of sand, but after three hours in the devastated once-forest, his Byakuugan still picking up no signs of any life nor body under the wreckage.

The Hyuuga turned his grey eyes to scan the surface of the vast new desert. "Uchiha is not here."

The puppet master sighed, tossing a bright orange flare into the sky. The scattered jonin began returning back to the rendezvous point empty-handed.

"Gaara isn't going to like this..." Kankuro grumbled, retrieving an empty scroll from his pouch. He hastily scribbled a message on the curled parchment before raising a hand stiffly in the air. A tiny white bird swooped down, coming to a perfect rest on his gloved hand. Hurried words were whispered into the soft feathers, then launched into the air, scroll attached to its leg.

"Matsuri... It's up to you now."

The long haired leaf nin shot another passing look at the scene before him. Destroyed forests, leveled land formations. Life itself had been snuffed out. Yet the missing nin had survived.

The storm had only just begun.

--

It hurt.

In more ways than one.

But she could not look away.

The extensive use of her Byakuugan had begun to sting her eyes, yet she pressed on. It had already been fifteen hours into the procedure, the work unimaginably slow with only the two of them working in the empty operating room.

"Hinata," Tsunade called out, not looking away from her patient. "I need you here."

The Hyuuga heiress snapped out of her dazed thoughts, refocusing on the unconscious blonde on the table. Tired as her eyes were, she could clearly make out the two conflicting life forces battling for space in the confines of the young man's body in a struggle to consume each other.

_What have you done, Naruto-kun..._

There was a familiar ache in her chest. It had been ten years, their lives now on entirely separate paths. She had resigned to the fact that he would always be just out of the reach of her self-imposed shell, but the pain still bore the sting of a fresh wound. She never had anyone to turn to when it hurt. And she would not this time either, with Tsunade having her swear to secrecy before entering the room. The vision before her began to blur slightly as tears swelled in eyes that swore to stop crying years ago.

"HINATA. CONCENTRATE OR WE WILL LOSE THEM BOTH."

The dark haired girl jolted back to reality, blinking back the betrayal of her emotions, and turning back to body of Naruto in front of her.

She blinked again.

_No..._

"Tsunade-sama!" she burst out. "Naruto's life force is waning rapidly. We're losing him!"

Hazel eyes flashed with increased concentration. She had yet to finish the complicated series of seals needed to bring the child into the world. Stopping now would mean...

If anything happens to Naruto...

"Kuso..." she cursed under her breath, feeling the blonde's pulse falter under her fingers pressed to his neck.

She knew what had to be done.

"Hinata, we're removing it now."

--

The chair was too hard.

The air was too cold.

The walls were too close.

The silence in the empty hallway was too deafening.

Pale green eyes stared right through the report clutched in his hands, wishing his heart would stop pounding. He hated this feeling. This crushing sensation of inevitability. This suffocating air of everything he spent his entire life telling himself he was not.

Helpless.

Weak.

Useless.

All he could do was sit on the lone chair drawn up outside the thick wooden doors, and hope. His doubt consumed him. The mere thought of living his life from this day on without that infectious smile, that fluttering of warmth, heck, even that annoying 'dattebayo'...

He should have been more firm.

_"No."_

_Naruto shot him a dirty look. The thin blanket pooled around his hips, offering little respite from the frigid cold of the operating theatre. This is hardly the best place for this conversation. "What do you mean, no. This is our child. However strange its conception was. You're not going to just let it die are you?"_

_The redhead continued his unfaltering stare into bright azure eyes. "Naruto, think about the future of this child. We are both kages. It is impossible."_

_"WHY IS IT IMPOSSIBLE!" the blonde shouted angrily. "It's because we're kages that we can make this possible. We can raise this child perfectly fine."_

_"It's not that simple."_

_"Yes it is."_

_"The child will never lead a normal life."_

_"We can give it a normal life."_

_"We will have to live apart all the time."_

_"We can travel and visit frequently. You're doing that already."_

_"It is just impossible."_

_"You're just scared. Baka."_

_That one hurt a bit._

_Scared? That was one emotion Gaara had yet to factor into the equation. Yet, now that he did, he WAS scared. He was not ready for this. He was not ready to lose everything, not now that he had found it. Doubt crept into the corners of his eyes that he turned away to stare at the tiled floor._

_A rough hand gripped his tighter._

_"I'll be fine, dattebayo..." Naruto said softly._

His words were so sure back then.

He almost did not notice the light flicker off above the doors to the operating theatre until Tsunade walked out, an exhausted look on her face.

"Gaara-kun. You can go in now. We'll be moving him in ten minutes."

The sand nin stood up shakily, mumbling his thanks to the medic nin. Her gaze followed the kazekage as he disappeared behind the large doors, wondering when during those twenty hours the feared sand nin had transformed into that small and lost looking young man.

Hinata was clearing away the last of the blood soaked gauze when the pale redhead approached. She turned, eyes widening in realization.

_So it's you..._

She bowed quickly, promptly leaving the room, the tray of instruments in hand.

Once the door had shut with a reassuring click, Gaara let the rest of his barrier fall, placing a soft palm on Naruto's face. His radiant skin was now dulled and cold, his golden spikes now limply framing his expressionless face. A quiet stream of breathing left his slightly parted chapped lips. If the blonde was still alive, it meant only one thing...

"Unnn..."

"It's over, Naruto. Rest."

"What happened to our-"

Pale green eyes glazed over. He could not find the words. "Naruto..."

"Kazekage-sama," a voice said quietly from behind him. He turned to see Hinata return to the room, a small bundle in her arms. She pushed the bundle of loose cloth into Gaara's inexperienced grip. He fumbled briefly with the pile of cloth before it gently parted open, revealing a tiny figure amongst the cloth. Soft bright red hair with streaks of gold stood out from the pastel blue of the cotton blanket. Gaara's eyes widened as a curious electricity sprialled through his body.

"This is your son."

--

The dark figure perched in the trees frowned, running a hand through her shock of red hair. Where there had been a buzz of activity in the hospital minutes before, it was all quiet again. She scribbled into the slim notebook, slipping it back into her pouch.

Tsunade had wasted a great deal of chakra in the last procedure, amassing such a reckless amount of energy to prevent that tiny speck of a life force from snuffing out.

What was so important about that speck anyway...

She huffed impatiently. Twilight was already upon Konohagakure, signalling her cue to leave. She pivoted sharply on her heel, about to dive back into the darkness of the forest when something wrenched her attention back.

_This chakra... Impossible..._

--

Please review!


	8. Chapter 8

Author's Notes:

Here we go! Chapter 8! Please review! PLEASE! Sorry for the shorter chapter than usual.

--

The tall young man let out a deep sigh as he trudged begrudging behind his wife along the near empty streets. If being dragged out at daybreak was not enough, his plans for an entire day slouched on a deck chair watching clouds were smashed with slightly-too-joyful proclamations that they would be spending most of the day at the hospital with his brother-in-law.

The very idea that said brother-in-law was in fact the kazekage had yet to take root in his mind, the name tasting strange on his tongue.

"Shikamaru," Temari called out, a hint of warning lacing her smile. "Be nice to him."

The shadow master cast her a half-hearted scowl. If anything, he would not dare to be anything other than 'nice' to the kazekage, for two simple reasons named Temari and Kankuro respectively. In the one and a half years that they had been married, he never did get any closer to her siblings, mostly due to the fact that they were in a village hundreds of miles away.

That fact comforted him to some degree.

"It's this one."

He glanced up from the ground he had been so closely monitoring all their way to the hospital to find himself outside a rather plain looking door, two Suna Jonins standing guard outside. They caught sight of the fan-weilding shinobi, hastily bowing before opening the door for her.

The kazekage was sitting up on the thin mattress of the bed, staring intently at the slim book in his hand, a look of growing frustration etching itself across his brow. He barely took notice of the two who now entered the room, bearing an obtrusively large basket of fruits.

Temari placed a hand on a pale arm, nudging her younger brother gently. "Gaara..."

The redhead snapped back to attention, his pale green eyes immediately falling on the two curious faces at the foot of his bed before hurriedly stowing the book under the thin blanket.

"Temari. Shikamaru." he acknowledged emotionlessly.

The blonde girl gave him a puzzled look. The red haired young man was acting strangely this morning. But it was a welcomed change from the look of utter anxiety from the day before that seemed so out of place on him. Today, however, was a strange sense of perplexed confusion radiating from the stone cold stare he was trying to keep on his face.

"Gaara, is something-"

The door suddenly crashed open with a force nearly great enough to rip it off its hinges.

"GAARA! I WANT TO GO SEE KAZUKI-CHAN!"

Gaara turned away from the two figures at the foot of his bed to frown at the blonde bouncing ecstatically in the doorway.

"Tatsuki."

"KAZUKI."

"Tatsuki."

"HIS NAME IS KAZUKI! DIDN'T YOU READ THAT BOOK OF NAMES I GAVE YOU?" the hokage yelled defiantly with little effect on the expressionless kazekage. The sand nin cast an imperceptible glance at the rectangular outline under the thin blanket. He had spent most of his conscious hours in the morning leafing through the book that had most of its pages torn out and large circles squiggled around one particular name.

The jinchuuriki in the doorway was about to unleash a train of swears when he finally noticed the two very confused looking people in the room.

Temari cocked her head to a side.

"Who are you talking about?"

--

_This was a bad idea._

The redhead's frown turned into something akin to a grimace as he and Naruto led the small group towards the room at the end of the corridor. The blonde had insisted that they bring the two along. Apparently, the word 'secret' had an entirely different meaning in the mind of the leaf nin.

The door they stopped at was nothing remarkable to begin with. Plain white paint peeled slightly at the edges of the unmarked surface marred only by a single small piece of parchment on it.

A seal? Here?

Before Shikamaru's question could fully formulate in his mind, the hokage pushed lightly at the door, opening a gap just wide enough to slip in quietly. The largely empty room was unnaturally warm, a stark contrast to the sterilized cold of the rest of the hospital. The other beds and cupboards were piled up in an unruly clutter along the walls, the marks of their normal locations worn into the polished floor. In the middle of it all stood a lone cot, surrounded by a multitude of carefully written seals, each glowing with a different shade of red.

Naruto picked his way gingerly through the maze of seals on the ground, hopping towards the cot. Rough hands reached into the cot with a gentleness uncharacteristic of the raucous blonde. They emerged shortly after with a tiny bundle cradled in his arm, a free hand brushing softly at the wisps of bright red hair.

Temari gasped. The convoluted thoughts in her mind clearly reflected in the jumbled words that left her lips.

"Gaara... Naruto... Is that..."

"Hai!" Naruto beamed. "This is Kazuki."

"Tatsuki."

"KAZUK, DATTEBAYOI!"

The kazekage sighed, rolling his eyes at the screaming blonde. Naruto cleared his throat, turning back to the stunned couple. "We can't take him home now. Baachan said that his chakra levels are going berserk and he would have to be kept here for another week."

The baby looked as normal as babies did, nothing on the surface betraying the turmoil within. He yawned slightly, wriggling in his father's arms. The soft streaks of blonde amongst deep red were the only telltale signs of its parentage, besides which, the child looked exceptionally like-

"Gaara..."

The redhead tore his gaze away from his child to look at his sister. Whatever doubt she had in her mind was very suddenly quashed by the intense look he gave her. She smiled inwardly. That glare alone set most of her fears at ease.

"If you are wondering about our son," the redhead began quietly, not relenting his gaze. "It is... Complicated."

Her smile remained. She should have expected no less from her younger brother. Instead, she looked back at Naruto, offering him a warm smile he would not have easily associated with the ferocious female shinobi.

"I guess this means you're part of the family now, Rokudaime Hokage," the female sand nin smiled.

Azure eyes widened.

_Family? I have... A family now?_

He had yet to fully think about it, but now that he had begun to, an overwhelming feeling of completion swept over him. He had people to call family now. It was no longer an emotion he had to pretend he understood. It was not a label he had to apply to unrelated people in his life. It was no longer just the memory of ghosts long gone. This was real. And this was far greater than he could have imagined. An impossible sense of belonging, after a life of rejection.

His lips slowly curved into a warm smile.

He could get used to this.

--

"Are you certain about this information?"

Karin shot the cloaked man a look that reeked of contempt. "Of course. My eyes are never wrong."

There was a silent chuckle from under the cloak. Still such an overconfident girl after all these years. Still... Her skills had been proven useful on more than one occasion, more than quantifying her use in the group. A hand reached up and pulled back the heavy the hood, revealing long raven hair that swept down his back. He looked over the crumpled pages of the notebook again. Karin was never wrong.

_But still..._

_This amount of chakra suddenly making its appearance. And the efforts of Tsunade that sapped most of her chakra in a five hour stint. There was no doubt about it._

_He was his father's son._

"Madara-sama?" the red haired girl called out. The Uchiha looked up from the book, snapping it shut quickly and tossing it back to the surprised shinobi.

"I will have to travel to Konoha."

--

Slim fingers ran lethargically through thick brown hair. Sleep was a luxury these days with the sudden onset of paperwork and snooping around the ANBU had to do. However, with all the added security, her squads of ANBU spread thin, nothing seemed out of place. Was she looking in all the wrong places?

"Captain."

Matsuri looked up from her desk at the pig masked ANBU in front of her who held out a thick file, bits of paper sticking out at odd angles. She wiped the exhaustion off her face, taking the proffered file.

"Thank you. Dismissed."

She leafed through the messy pages, her brow furrowing in the growing anxiety. She should have assigned more ANBU to monitor them after all. With most of her squads focusing on finding the dark haired man who fit Kankuro's description, it left her with little manpower to assign to other tasks. From the report, the village council had approved, without consent of the kazekage, the movement of all Suna armed forces back to the village. Once assembled, Suna's forces represented a formidable power.

Suna was preparing for war.

Matsuri grabbed a scrap of paper, hurriedly scribbling a note. She attached it swiftly to a white pigeon's foot. She lifted the small bird up to her lips gently, whispering softly into its feathers.

"You know what to do."

Then she set it out the window.

--

The bird soared swiftly through the desert. It had made this trip many times before. Its destination loomed in the approaching distance. It would take no longer than another day to arrive in-

It never got to its intended recipient.

The pale hand retracted slowly, crushing the tiny pigeon its grasp. Madara allowed himself a small smile.

He would not have wanted this message to get to Konoha before he did.

Please review!

Gaara and Naruto's name argument is actually an ongoing battle in my mind in my already 2 week search for the perfect name. Please let me know if you have any suggestions. :)

Kazuki - first of new generation, shining one  
Kiyoshi - Quiet, bright, shining, clear  
Takeshi - bamboo, unbending  
Hitoshi - even tempered  
Tatsuki - Dragon; Honor


	9. Chapter 9

Author's Notes:  
Thank you all for the name suggestions! My sincere apologies for the later than usual update. My schedule has been packed since I'm finally going back to my home country next week after 3 months of being stuck here alone.

Enjoy! Chapter 9!

And please review.

--

They were supposed to be sleeping when it happened.

The night air of the village was unnervingly calm, a thick blanket of silent tension weighing down in the air, suffocating anyone able to pick up its scant presence.

The kazekage was one of them.

A certain blonde woke groggily, swimming in the sheets of the large bed to come to the conclusion that, once again, there was an empty space next to him. He would have to have a talk with the sand nin about the concept of sleeping together. Begrudgingly, he hauled himself upright, tired eyes scanning the room for a glimpse of the insomniac redhead.

Gaara stood alone in the balcony of the Hokage's quarters, his eyes wandering over the sleeping village. The cooled night air slipped through the thin material of the black shirt, caressing his skin in a way the sand laced winds of Suna could not. Yet... Something was not right. This anxiety that was building up faintly at the back of his mind was itching him awake and away from the warmth of familiar strong arms.

"I would have tied you to the bed if I knew I was going to wake up alone."

The redhead did not need to turn to recognize the owner of the voice now leaning against the low wall next to him.

"Go back to sleep, Naruto."

The hokage easily ignored the order. He was already 50 percent awake now - going back to the lavishly spacious bed alone felt increasingly unappealing. The stillness of the night was a pleasant change from the hustle of the day he had grown used to. His eyes wandered towards the slim figure next to him, an unfamiliar feeling of unease oozing from his pensive blank stare.

"I know you're worried about what will happen now with Kazuki-"

"Tatsuki."

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Whatever. Anyway, there's really no reason to worry."

"I would have wanted him to have a full family."

The blonde fell silent. Part of him was glad Gaara was back, regardless of the circumstance. He could not have imagined having to go through the week's events without the silent company of a particular redhead. It put in stark perspective the strange, unsettling inevitability of parting. Neither of them had experienced what it was truly like to be part of a complete family, or at least, one that was not trying to kill off their own offspring.

"Gaara..." Naruto started slowly, fumbling for the words in his still sleep hazed mind. "It will-"

"Naruto." the sand nin cut in abruptly. The blonde was about to snap at his lover for interrupting what would have been a slurred but emotional speech, only to find the kazekage suddenly perched on the parapet of the hokage's balcony, poised to leap off.

"Hospital. Now."

--

The figure moved silently through the now too quiet hospital. Sandaled feet stepped lightly over another body of yet another nameless guard, drawn towards the immense yet all too familiar chakra at the end of the long hallway. He mused briefly at the village's scant security, entertaining for a moment the thought of running Konohagakure over by himself. Before he could further mull over the idea, he found himself standing in front of a pair of thick wooden doors, unable to proceed further.

He ran a hand over the door, hearing a dangerous sizzle as he did so.

"Seals?" he smirked to himself. "Amateurs."

With a quick movement, he broke through the thick barrier surrounding the door. The ripped seal burst off the surface of the door, sending it fluttering limply to the ground in a little more than a smudge of ash.

The doors burst open with a loud bang, flying off their hinges and scattering in splintered chunks in various parts of the room. The slight commotion had torn several seals placed carefully about the room, stirring a sleeping chakra trapped within.

_Weak. Like the rest of this doomed village._

There was the tiniest of gurgles that lofted up from the small cradle in the middle of the room, drawing his attention. The raven haired man approached the child slowly, extending a pale finger to flop aside the cottony blankets. The infant was sound asleep, curled in a loose ball on its side, fiery hair glowing softly in the moonlight that basked the room.

_"You will regret taking this child, Uchiha._"

Madara paused slightly as the voice echoed in his mind. A smile of recognition crept across his face.

"Kyuubi."

The fox snarled. _"Clever boy. Now leave before you ruin everything."_

The tall man raised an eyebrow. "Do you really think you can escape through this child?"

_"I could only transfer part of myself before the connection was interrupted. But unsealed as I am in the infant, it's more than enough to blow your brains out from here." _The demon fox snapped, letting out a ripple of chakra along with his unmasked threat. Madara frowned, brushing aside the tinge of discomfort.

"I doubt you can do anything with the number of seals in this room."

_"Like I said. You will regret taking this child."_

"Do not underestimate me, fox."

--

Gaara was running.

The hospital loomed just ahead. He darted swiftly from rooftop to rooftop, his feet barely touching the ground. Fear had stealthily crept up into his cold pale eyes. Fear... He hated the feeling with a passion. It made him feel so weak, the idea of losing something. He could feel Naruto sprinting behind him, slowly closing the distance between them.

_Damn it. Catch up already._

Within moments, he had skidded ungainly into the hallway, nearly tripping over a lifeless form slumped over on the ground. His eyes snapped up from the bloody figure to the doorway from which he had come from. Naruto was still a little ways from the hospital, but he did not have the luxury of time to wait for the blonde boy.

_He's here._

His feet pivoted and shot back down the corridor bathed in crimson, each step echoing loudly in his pounding heart as he pushed himself to run faster, then faster still. He burst into the room as a large figure loomed over the cot, lifting a small bundle out. The intruder was completely unperturbed by the immense and angry chakra that now flooded the room, radiating from a livid redhead at the door.

"Ah... Kazekage."

Pale green eyes flashed with unmasked fury and a slim hand shot out to his side. The wall next to madara crumbled instantly, reforming into a thick column of twisting sand. It arched in the air, lashing downwards towards the intruder.

Madara quickly sidestepped the sudden attack, tucking the child deeper within his robes. The sand attacked again, the other wall beginning to crumble and whip out from the opposite direction. The wild, violent swipes of the coarse sand was only made more dangerous with the immense number of concrete chips swept along with it. A roar of pure anger left the normally level kazekage, his eyes wide with unrestrained hatred as his hands flew at frightening speed, sending the sand into an all out offensive.

The Uchiha leapt deftly away from the attacks, his robes already in tattered clumps. He glanced disapprovingly at the gaping holes in the material. Enough of this. His eyes shot back to the redhead, hands forming a quick succession of hand seals as pillars of sand descended on him.

Before Gaara could react, a rush of water cascaded towards him, sweeping him out of the room and into the corridor. With all the sand he had created going into his relentless attack, they could barely reform into a barrier when the water hit.

He sat up in the puddle of water as his sand wall crumbled in a wet mess, his eyes widened in desperate realization as he looked towards the room now several metres away from his reach.

They were gone.

--

Azure eyes strained ahead to catch the quick flashes of movement in the branches as he raced after the sand nin.

_Baka... You can't take him alone..._

They ran.

And continued running.

Even long after they could no longer sense the Uchiha's chakra.

Running blind didn't matter as long as they were closing the distance.

And he would have ran to the ends of the land had a hand not clamped firmly on his shoulder. In a moment, he was flung to the ground, glaring into a pair of bright blue eyes with a convoluted mix of anger and surprise.

"What are you doing, Naruto." he snarled, struggling to get back up, his strength easily overpowered by the weight above him.

"I would ask you the same thing, Gaara." Naruto hissed, pushing the redhead further into the ground. "We both want to save Kazuki but we don't know where they're going, neither are we prepared to fight him."

Pale green eyes averted from the piercing stare, his mind abuzz with a mess of unanswered questions. Naruto scanned the pale face below him, running a thumb over the muscles twisted with rage. He had not seen Gaara lose his head in battle since...

The blonde forced a smirk on his face, releasing his grip on the kazekage slightly. "Not going to argue this time? Wise choice."

--

Soft footfalls landed in the darkened room. Wind flitted in through the open window, billowing through his thick robes. He lowered the fidgeting bundle onto the stone pedestal set in the middle of the room.

Pale fingers ghosted over the soft red spikes, feeling the thick chakra pulse angrily under his palm. The quick seal he had slapped hastily on the infant would not hold for much longer.

"That's it?"

Madara turned to see the younger Uchiha leaning in the doorframe, casting an unimpressed look at the child.

"Ahh. This is the kazekage's son."

Sasuke huffed in obvious disdain. "He doesn't seem like much."

"Do not underestimate him." the older Uchiha said evenly.

Sasuke fell silent.

Madara frowned inwardly at the younger man's impertinence. But for now, the former leaf nin would still be useful. "His chakra is unstable. Stay here and seal the chakra."

The younger man moved to voice his vehement objection. Having been cooped up in the dingy room for weeks was already frustrating as it was and he could hear his bones and muscles scream for a fight. He was quickly silenced with a sharp glare.

"You _wil__l_ stay here."

"Madara-sama."

Cold black eyes turned to the girl who had slipped into the room. Perfect timing.

"Karin. Assemble the Suna troops. Tell them to prepare for war."

--

Apologies again for the late update. Please review.


End file.
